Accidental Nanny
by CD1996
Summary: A short fluff piece following SR allowing Clark a chance for some R&R with his new, favorite little guy.
1. Part One

_Summary: A short two or three-part fluff piece following SR allowing Clark a chance for some R&R with his new, favorite little guy._

**A/N – Many thanks to Mel (AlamoGirl) and Barb (htbthomas) for their beta-work, suggestions, _patience_, and encouragement on this one. This has just been a little "fluff" idea I've been slowly working on for awhile since delving into the SR genre of fanfiction. It was originally titled "Sick Day", but you may notice someone beat me to the punch with that title and a similar idea. No infringement upon that author's work is intended and while some elements may be similar, the styles are different (be sure to check it out, too!). **

Accidental Nanny

Life in the bullpen did not pause simply because the weather turned inclement. With the changing weather patterns, employees of the _Daily Planet_ found themselves plowing through driving rains and biting winds. The declining temperatures outside hovered in the mid-fifties, making the constant pelt of water against the high-rise windows seem unnaturally chilly.

Hidden behind stacks of files and printouts, Clark Kent surreptitiously removed his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. He jumped as the floor courier dumped another file on top of his already teetering pile, and shoved his lenses back onto his nose.

"Uh, thanks…thanks, Harvey!" he called after the already departing delivery boy, slumping into his chair. It was going to be another long day. The late nights were catching up with him, and he was still disastrously behind schedule between his extra-curricular activities and his unexpected, albeit relatively short, stint in the hospital a few weeks prior.

Across the room, he could hear Lois Lane typing furiously at her computer between phone interviews and calling out for spelling advice. Clark suppressed a sigh, a feeling of nostalgia sweeping over him. Despite the changes his absence had wrought, there was still a comfort in being there; a familiarity to the hustle and bustle that hinted at some sort of bizarre normality. _Yes, despite all the changes, some things are still the same._

He trained his eyes upon his work; staring across the room and daydreaming would only hinder his progress. He had a responsibility to 'add some oomph' to otherwise lack-luster stories. Perry was never short of compliments with regard to Clark's writing; he simply had not yet let him tackle the truly big scoops since his return. Clark found he didn't mind so much; he was good at the mundane tasks and he could continue to remain covert while monitoring breaking news over the network of television screens stationed throughout the office.

An hour later, he was preparing to put the finishing touches on his draft of an article about the Metropolis Museum of Natural History's latest fossil acquisition.

"You gonna come up for air sometime this morning, Smallville?"

Clark's yelp and simultaneous leap back against his chair was impressive enough, but the shower of papers that resulted from him leaping to his feet only served to garner additional attention from others in the newsroom. "Uh—hi! Hi there, Lois. Good gracious, you really—you really shouldn't sneak up on me…like that."

Lois smirked, cocking an eyebrow in agreement. _He is such a flighty thing, sometimes._ "Yes, I see that. I'll try to warn you next time."

Clark cleared his throat and shoved his hands into his pockets, a timid smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"I'm sorry, here—" she offered awkwardly, then stretched out her hand to reveal a tall, covered cup of coffee. "Jimmy mentioned he saw you here again late last night. You sure are burning the candle at both ends, lately. I thought, maybe, you could…well…"

His eyes widened, his mouth forming a silent 'oh!' as he took the proffered cup. "Gee, that was really thoughtful of you, Lois…thank you," he replied, hastily raising the steaming liquid to his lips and taking a long drink.

Lois gasped in surprise. "Clark!"

"Yes?"

"That's…isn't that awfully hot?"

Clark gulped, nearly choking as he swallowed air with his mouthful of coffee. "I like it that way, thanks!" he squeaked out, setting the cup aside and stooping quickly to shuffle his scattered papers into a pile.

Lois stared at him incredulously as he scurried to clean up the mess at her feet. _Okay, scratch flighty_. _Sometimes, Clark Kent is just plain odd_…the thought was interrupted by the jangle of her cell phone in the depths of her purse. She found a spot to set her own cup down for a moment while she sought her phone, turning her body away to answer it.

Saved by the proverbial bell, Clark tried to ignore the blatant fact that, while scooping up papers, he had a fabulous view of Lois' legs. The papers suddenly became _very_ interesting, indeed, until he caught the next snippet of her conversation.

"Oh, dear. How high?" He heard Lois murmur into her phone.

Clark chanced a glance upwards over the rim of his glasses in time to see Lois square her back to him and tuck her head in order to gain some modicum of privacy in the noisy space. Picking up his stack of papers, he tapped them against the floor and stood.

"I'll see what I can work out as soon as possible," Lois paused, reaching up to press her palm against her forehead, "Oh, yes…yes, put him on…Hi, baby…"

Clark shifted uncomfortably behind her, unnecessarily straightening his desk as he attempted not to eavesdrop. But the fact that he could hear an obviously distressed little boy on the other end of her phone inadvertently kept his fine-tuned hearing piqued. When she hung up, Clark made sure to look suitably engrossed in his notes.

"Everything okay?" he inquired gently, noting the fretful expression on her face. Lois chewed on her lip, running her hands through her hair before resting them on her hips. "What's that? Oh—" she waved dismissively. "That was the nurse at Jason's school. He's running a fever, and I need to go pick him up…" She did not notice the flicker of anxiety pass over his features as she continued, now threading her way through the maze of desks, "…but I don't know how I'm going to manage that. Richard left on assignment for Israel this morning, and I've got that press conference in New York for the UN's long-awaited stance on the Lebanon situation."

She stopped suddenly and Clark nearly plowed into her back when she whirled around again. He back-pedaled, hastily shoving his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Lois…"

"I'll try my sister…wait. Oh, damn. She's on an 18-hour rotation…"

"Uh, Lois…?"

She stopped thinking aloud long enough to see that Clark had actually followed her to her desk and was clutching to his chest the same pile of papers he'd straightened earlier.

"I'm sorry…what was that, Clark?"

"Well, ah—" he swallowed. "I was just going to offer…I mean, I could—I could go pick up Jason for you. Uh, that is—if it would help, I mean…"

Lois stopped pacing about her desk and looked at him_. Clark Kent, play nanny to a sick five-year old? Clumsy, jittery, meek little Clark Kent?_ She could not miss the press conference, and even though the news chopper was providing transit, it wasn't a suitable afternoon trip for her sick little boy. Richard was quite obviously unavailable and her sister would not be able to get off of work any time soon. She wondered if she had any other option.

"Oh, Clark," she sighed, dropping into her chair. "That's quite generous of you…but hardly fair. You have your own work to do, too…"

"Work I can take with me," he pointed out, suddenly straightening and meeting the gaze she had turned up to him. She vaguely wondered just why he was so keen on the job. "I really don't mind. I could use the change of pace. And," he added quickly, "It would help you out."

His smile was suddenly quite disarming, throwing her completely off-guard. She consciously scolded herself to close her mouth. "I don't know. I would hate for you to catch what he's got…"

Clark shrugged. "Eh, I'm not too concerned. I just don't get sick."

Lois' brow crinkled in thought. _Come to think of it, Clark always was the one who pulled the extra weight when someone in the office called in, including herself_. Other than his lengthy sabbatical, she rarely remembered him ever taking a day to himself.

"Well," she countered, "This is a kids' bug, and contrary to popular belief, they're a lot more potent than the grown-up ones. You may be immune to what floats around in here, Clark, but it's a whole different ballgame with children." She crossed her arms and shook her head. He continued to stand there, looking perfectly willing. "Are you sure about this?"

"You bet!" he responded with his usual gusto. "I'll just…I'll just go check out one of the _Planet's_ laptops to take with me. You can jot down some directions for me."

Lois blinked and shook her head, flabbergasted. By the time Clark had returned from "the underground" (the _Planet's_ affectionate term for its technology wing) and gathered his necessary materials, she had phoned the school to let them know Clark was coming, written directions to her home, and even jotted down the medication Jason would need.

"He can call me if he needs to—I'll have my cell phone on. Make sure he takes his Albuterol, that's the inhaler, every four hours. If he has trouble breathing, turn the shower on hot and have him sit in the bathroom for awhile. Oh, and if he's hungry, he's got a cabinet of food that is safe for him to have to the left of the microwave, and—"

"—Lois," Clark began, to no avail.

"—It's all right if he wants to watch television for a little while, but I imagine he'll just want to sleep—"

"Lois." Clark managed to cut her off effectively this time. "He's a little boy, not some piece of fine China. I promise," he added, reaching out to grasp her arm reassuringly. "I'll take good care of him."

She could have sworn the timbre of his voice dropped an octave with those last words, and finally looking back at him, she was surprised by his direct gaze and how positively intense it was. _Have his eyes always been blue?_ She unexpectedly felt she needn't worry.

Lois smiled apologetically. "Of course. You're right, I'm sorry, Clark. I know you'll take good care of Jason, and thank you. You're a real life saver, you know that?"

If she had not averted her gaze to rip her scrawled notes from the steno pad, she would have noticed Clark had the grace to blush. He glanced down at the paper before grinning back at her and, turning, headed towards the elevator.

Lois watched him depart, feeling relieved. She could depend on Clark. Clark, who now held her note between his teeth and was shrugging into his overcoat while juggling his briefcase and laptop bag—and after managing that feat, tripped on absolutely nothing as he stumbled to catch the descending elevator. Lois groaned and closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger.

On second thought, it was a good thing he was already on his way, or she just might have changed her mind.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**TBC**


	2. Part Two

_Summary: A short two or three-part fluff piece following SR allowing Clark a chance for some R&R with his new, favorite little guy._

**A/N: Thanks again to _htbthomas_ and _Alamo Girl_ for the beta work on this. Also, I extend my sincere and most humble gratitude to those of you who took the time to leave a review. It's been wonderful to hear from you! Only one more piece to this little story remains; enjoy Part Two!**

Accidental Nanny

_Part Two_

Clark pulled into the designated visitor's parking space in front of _Rising Star_ Elementary, cutting the engine to Lois' car and reaching under the passenger seat for an umbrella. The steady rain had dissipated to a thick mist, but the wind continued to blow and he wanted to protect Jason from the elements as much as possible.

Even though Lois assured him that the school knew he was coming and why, Clark felt a sudden wave of nervousness wash over him. He did not have the first clue as to what he was doing; in his haste, all he had thought about was taking care of his boy. Now, as he signed in for a visitor's badge and a member of the administrative staff lead him to the nurse's cubby, he realized he was seriously under qualified for this little job.

He paused at the doorway and observed the nurse, Janice, dispensing Ritalin to a third-grade girl with curly brown pigtails. "Here you go, Melanie," she said, handing the girl a small Dixie cup of water and watching her to make sure the medication went down. "Good girl. I'll see you in the morning, sugar!"

Janice, a beautiful and robust woman with dark skin and a striking weave of hair piled on her head, rose when Clark entered the room. She wore a wild pattern of Scooby Doo scrubs and brightly colored tennis shoes. He had a feeling students invented numerous clever ailments just to visit this jovial woman. She smiled and nodded as Clark pointed toward the cot in the corner.

"Jason? Mr. Kent is here to pick you up, sweetheart," Janice gently informed the little boy curled up there.

Jason stirred beneath the gray wool blanket and sat up, looking towards the doorway. Clark's heart nearly broke in two when those little blue eyes, glassy but otherwise so like his own, landed on him. Nerves momentarily forgotten, he took two strides of his long legs into the room and hiked his pants up before squatting in front of the little boy.

"Hey there, kiddo. Sorry I'm not your mom."

Jason nodded and looked away. "It's okay."

_Now what,_ Clark wondered, feeling his panic returning. Sick little boys wanted their mothers, not strange sort-of-friends from their mothers' place of employment!

Then Jason's tiny voice surprised him. "But you're here," he continued, and Clark found that he was suddenly being scrutinized by the little boy's stare.

"Uh, yes!" Clark squeaked, sitting back on his heels and habitually shoving his glasses up impossibly further on his nose. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Yes, I'm here. Would you like to go home now?"

Jason sniffled, biting his lower lip before looking back at Clark through his mop of bangs and nodding timidly. There was a beat of silence as Jason seemed to study him once more before he suddenly scooted forward and reached out to wrap his arms around Clark's neck.

Clark stifled a surprised gasp, bringing his hand up to cradle Jason's head, now lying on his shoulder. _He's so warm! Too warm._ Rising to his feet, he secured Jason in one arm and reached out to take the backpack that Janice retrieved from the floor and handed to him with his other.

"I'll get the door for you, Mr. Kent," Janice offered, leading the way back out into the hallway and towards the main entrance. Glancing over her shoulder as they followed, she had to smile. For as apprehensive as this man had seemed upon entering her office, the unusually protective embrace he held on little Jason was down right … _paternal_. He did not even struggle to open the umbrella single-handedly, despite the cargo he carried. And as she sent get-well wishes and bid them farewell, she noticed that the boy continued to loll trustingly, vulnerably, against Clark's shoulder.

Clark took great pains to gently situate Jason in the back of the car and buckle him into his car seat. Then, giving him as reassuring a grin as he could possibly muster—despite feeling concern—he rounded the bumper and climbed behind the wheel.

"Uh, you know," he began hesitantly, turning the key in the ignition and backing out of the parking space, "I bet we'll be back at your house in plenty of time to catch—" _Cripes, what do kids watch on television nowadays?_ He quickly thought back to the row of backpacks hanging from the coat racks outside one of the classrooms he passed at school. "—uh, _SpongeBob_, is it? He looks pretty goofy."

Jason was silent for a moment, looking as if he was grappling with his decision whether or not to muster the energy and answer. Silence won out and Clark was once again at a loss.

"I—Is there anything you want on the way home? I'd be more than happy, you know, to stop…"

This time Jason was shaking his head slightly.

Clark swallowed. _I'm not very good at this._ "Just home?"

A nod in the affirmative.

"Okay. Home."

The drive to Lois and Richard's riverfront house only took about twenty minutes, but Clark found it difficult to keep his eyes off the rear-view mirror every time he heard a cough or the slightest sigh from his passenger. Drumming his long fingers against the steering wheel while waiting for a light, Clark bit his lip and was struggling to come up with some further interesting topic of conversation for a five-year old when he noticed, again looking in the mirror, that Jason's eyes were closing heavily and he was drifting off. Clark felt his chest expand with the deep breath he sucked in, earnestly trying not to well-up at the sight.

By the time they arrived at the house Jason was sound asleep, leaving Clark with the dilemma of how to get him inside without waking him. _I can smash through buildings and lift big rigs, but I cannot figure out how to get a child out of the car and into the house…_Going for broke, Clark carefully eased the door open and began gently unbuckling the seatbelt. He had just reached beneath Jason's arms to lift him up when the boy whimpered and then began to whine.

"I know," Clark muttered helplessly, easing a now crying Jason into his grasp. "I'm sorry, but I don't think your mommy would appreciate me leaving you in the car."

Juggling his way to the rear door with dead-weight, a backpack between his teeth, and fumbling in his pocket for the key Lois had given him, Clark couldn't help but roll his eyes at his own ineptness. Finally managing to get in, he kicked off his shoes and hung up the backpack in the mudroom before quickly heading up the stairs and into Jason's bedroom. Finding his pajamas hanging on the back of the closet door, Clark helped him change and crawl into his bed.

"Sit tight for a second while I go find your medicine, okay?"

Jason nodded forlornly and Clark was back in an instant, a bottle of Children's Liquid Tylenol, cough syrup, and an inhaler in hand. Clark could feel the boy's eyes on him as he fumbled with the containers, reading the dosage instructions and consulting Lois' notes. After staring at them for what seemed like forever, he set the two bottles on the bookshelf next to the bed, cracked them open and carefully poured the recommended amount into each plastic cup before handing the inhaler to Jason.

"Okay, Albuterol…check," he murmured, trading Jason the first cup for his inhaler. He watched his son dutifully drain it before handing him the last of the medicine. "Tylenol…and cough syrup, check."

Jason's little features twisted in a grimace and Clark had to stifle the urge to ruffle his hair. Instead, he busied his hands by reaching for the covers and beginning to tuck Jason in. He had just walked around the foot of the bed to shut off the overhead light, unsurprisingly shaped like an airplane, when that little voice stopped him.

"Mister Clark," Jason ventured almost inaudibly, trying not to aggravate his throat and begin coughing again.

Clark paused, his hand over the light switch, looking back towards the bed. "Yes?" he asked, just as quietly.

"Could you…would you read me a story?"

Clark blinked, dropping his hand and shoving it in his pocket. "Uh, sure!" he replied, swallowing and reaching up with his free hand to adjust his glasses. He stooped to pick up a Hot Wheels car as he moved back to the bed and perched carefully on its edge.   
"What, uh…" he took a deep breath. This seemed a daunting experience. "…What would you like to hear?"

Jason dropped his gaze listlessly for a moment, then pointed to the book on top of the shelf, next to the medicine bottles.

"This one?" Clark verified, sliding the book into his hands, holding it up for Jason to see. When Jason finally nodded, Clark smiled gently. "Okay," he replied, setting the book aside on the comforter.

He stood momentarily to shrug out of his suit coat and vest, draping it over the armchair near the window. Bending one leg beneath him, he settled back against the headboard and reached up to loosen his tie before cracking open the book. He paused a moment to glance down at Jason. He cleared his throat softly, uncertainly, and began to read…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**TBC**


End file.
